Category: Gear Reviews


  • Extrawheel Classic Single-Wheel Bicycle Trailer Review

    Looking at getting an Extrawheel? The trailer reviewed here has been replaced by the improved Extrawheel Voyager and is no longer available. Go and read the new review. There are quite a few trailers on the market nowadays, but none seem to be able to shift BOB and his Yak and Ibex single-wheeled trailers from the top of the pile as the most well-known and popular models. But Polish engineers at Extrawheel might just have designed the trailer to topple it. Mark, who cycled with me for the first 2 months, used a BOB Ibex, and I was able to… Continue reading →

  • Touring Wheelset Review — Sun Rhyno Lite rims on Shimano Deore XT 36h hubs

    First, I’d like to tell you a story. We began the ride on different wheelsets. Not because we wanted to, but because of a balls-up with the wheel order. I departed on what we’d originally planned for — Sun Rhyno Lite 36-hole rims, DT Swiss plain guage spokes, and Shimano Deore XT disc-compatible hubs. I’ve been riding on them since the beginning of the trip, almost without incident. Andy’s story, however, has been a different one, as you’ll know if you’ve been reading our blog. Continue reading →

  • SKF BXC600 ISIS Touring Bottom Bracket Review

    Not the most exciting component on your list, I’d guess, but certainly one of the most important. The last thing you want is to cycle a couple of thousand kilometres and have your bottom bracket disintegrate, only to find that no bike shop stocks a replacement to match your cranks. (Just ask Mark.) If you’re really unlucky, that’ll also mean new chainrings, and if your drivetrain is sufficiently worn to induce chain suck, a new chain and cassette. It makes sense, therefore, to get hold of a bottom bracket that you can literally fit and forget. Continue reading →

  • Using The Kona Explosif As An Expedition Touring Bike

    Using The Kona Explosif As An Expedition Touring Bike

    UPDATE: The Kona Explosif is no more. Pre-2011 frames, if you can find them, will continue to deal well with off-road adventures, as the article below relates. Whilst the steel Explosif frame is aimed at the cross-country mountain-biking market, it is not uncommon to see long-distance cycle tourers taking advantage of the increased strength and durability of mountain-bike components, which are naturally more heavy-duty than their road-bike equivalents.  We chose the Explosif frame (2007 model) for a number of reasons, not least because we planned to travel in remote corners of the world where tarmac had not yet reached. So… Continue reading →